


a thing for wildcats

by finelineholland, povdayas (finelineholland)



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Rival Schools - Freeform, i was bored, rina is cute, thinking about troyella picnic scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29349009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finelineholland/pseuds/finelineholland, https://archiveofourown.org/users/finelineholland/pseuds/povdayas
Summary: The sun shines onto the grass between the gaps in the bleachers on North High School’s football field. Gina Porter runs her hands along the stitching on the red gingham blanket, as she stares up at the underside of the metal rows and sighs.A picnic with the boy she’s been crushing on for months underneath her new school’s bleachers. How classy were they?
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	a thing for wildcats

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i was bored and wrote this lil one shot so here it is! also working on updates for my ongoing fics, so look out for those soon! enjoy!

“You’d think someone who wasn’t supposed to be here would be more quiet.”

“I’m not the one giggling every other sentence, Porter.” 

“I’m sorry! I might come off as mean, but I’ve never broken the rules like this before. It’s giving me a bit of a rush.”

“Surprised that I turned out to be such a bad influence?”

“More like ‘surprised you managed to sneak past security without showing your student ID’.”

“I have ways of getting what I want when it matters.” 

“That you do, Ricky Bowen, that you do.” 

The sun shines onto the grass between the gaps in the bleachers on North High School’s football field. Gina Porter runs her hands along the stitching on the red gingham blanket, as she stares up at the underside of the metal rows and sighs. 

A picnic with the boy she’s been crushing on for months underneath her new school’s bleachers. How classy were they? 

She never wanted to switch to North High, but her mother had insisted after she’d moved out of Utah that Gina be in close contact with someone she trusted. Although her mom was thankful to the Caswells for providing a room, one of her close friends from college, Angie Hilton, was the principal at North High. So, when second semester came around, she played the role of transfer student yet again.

It’s not all bad, Gina guesses. Making friends is always rough, but she still gets to see Ashlyn and EJ everyday after school. It’s fun being an honorary Caswell. Her classes aren’t too hard, and Principal Hilton always looked out for her. It felt safe, in a way that many schools prior hadn’t. 

But she didn’t have Ricky. 

She looked down from the metalwork and sky, her gaze landing on him as he watched her intently. 

“You didn’t have to come here, you know?” she says, reaching to open the small picnic basket he’d brought with him. Her favorite brand of popcorn, grapes, and a bottle of sparkling apple cider. A meal fit for a queen. “You could get in serious trouble.”

“A dumb school rivalry is not gonna stop me from seeing you. It’s a stupid rule that East High students are _‘banned’_ from North High property. We’ve done nothing wrong!” He leans over to open the bag of grapes, and pops three into his mouth. 

“East High students did vandalize the founder of North High’s honorary statue in 1994-”

“My God, Gi, you’re starting to sound like one of them already.” She laughs, throwing a popcorn kernel at his nose, which he expertly dodges. 

“But seriously,” he continues, “when else am I supposed to see you? You’re never free after school because you're _always_ at cheer practice.” he says, reaching over and tweaking the green bow that sat atop her head, her curls falling loosely over the fabric. 

She’d joined cheer shortly after she’d arrived, mostly because she didn’t think the theatre program would compare. Sure, their shows were excellent, and she could easily score a lead, but the atmosphere would be different. The people would be different. She didn’t know if she was ready for that just yet, so she decided to wait a semester. Cheer seemed to be the next best option. 

Gina looks down at her cheer uniform, the word _Knights_ scrawled across her top. They had a basketball game after 6th period today, a class she was skipping to be out here. She wondered if she seemed different to Ricky, as she looked less like an East High student than ever. Did he notice that she’d changed?

Did he like the new her?

“You’re not eating.” he says, snapping her out of her thoughts. She blinks, then blinks again, her eyes zeroing in on him once more. He’s giving her the same look he always has, one that shows how much he cares, and she thinks that maybe he’ll never see her in a different light. It’s nice to have someone who will only ever see the best in you. 

“Sorry. You came all this way to hang out with me and I’m distracted. I guess I’m just… thinking.” 

“Grape for your thoughts?” he asks, holding one out to her with his fingers. She smiles, leaning forward to take the grape between her teeth. She scrunches her face at the bitterness of it, and Ricky laughs, the light sound filling her with warmth. 

“I guess I just feel like… I don’t know. A lot has changed over these past two months since I transferred. I kind of expected _this_ to change too.” She gestures vaguely between the two of them, before reaching in the bag of popcorn and eating a bit, nervously offering him some. He stares at her hand for a moment, pondering her statement, before looking back up at her. 

“Why?” is all he says. 

Gina pulls her hand back, nearly scoffing. “ _‘Why?’_ Bowen, look at me. I’m pretty sure before I transferred here, you'd only ever seen me in leather and glittery dance shoes. Now, I look like a walking cliche.”

Ricky bites down on his lower lip, trying and failing to hide his smile. “Ginarina, you were a triple threat transfer student who literally walked into school like you owned the place. You’ve _always_ been a walking cliche.” 

“Says off brand Tony Hawk.”

“That’s a low blow!”

“Clap at me and I will clap back.” He smiles at the familiar line. He pauses again before tilting his head to one side and looking at her curiously. She raises an eyebrow at the gesture. 

“Would you… _want_ things to change? Between us?”

There’s a lilt to his voice that she doesn’t quite understand. She’s scared of whatever he means. All her life, all everything did was change. Ricky quickly became a constant, a little piece of stability in her life. She could always count on him texting her, asking about her day, or calling her in the middle of the night just to hear her voice. Of course she didn’t want that to change. 

“What do you mean by that… exactly?” she asks hesitantly. 

He turns a bit pink in the face, the tips of his ears burning slightly as he adjusts his position on the blanket. He looks nervous suddenly, and Gina finds it endearing. She thinks it’s unfair that he gets to be so cute. 

“I mean that maybe we can be _more_ , you know? If you want to, that is. I mean, I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I think that _maybe_ we’re on the same page? I could be completely off base here and if I am just forget I ever said anything because I really don’t wanna ruin what we have going and… you’re not saying anything. Or maybe I’m just talking so much that you’re not able to get a sentence in anyway. Um. I’ll shut up now.”

His eyes shift down to the blanket, and he taps his fingers anxiously. Gina’s smile is one of disbelief. Out of all the things he could’ve said, that wasn’t what she expected. 

“Ricky Bowen… are you- are you trying to ask me out?” she stammers, wondering if she’d misinterpreted his rant. 

He nods briefly, and she fights a laugh of pure joy from escaping her lips. He glances up at her from under his thick lashes, and scoffs at the amusement in her eyes. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little,” she admits, adjusting so that she’s laying on her back, streaks of sun painting across her face. He lays down next to her, shoulder to shoulder. “Keep going though.”

He turns his head to the side to look at her, and she does the same, not realizing just how close they were until that moment. She can feel his breath on her cheek. 

“You know I like you, right? Like… a lot?” Ricky says, and she sucks in a tiny breath, pursing her lips. 

“I didn’t actually.” she says, a smile escaping as she turns her eyes back to the skies. 

“Really? I thought it was obvious, with me trespassing just to bring you snacks, and all.” he says, a hint of laughter in his voice. 

“Ricky, the only boy experience I’ve had was pouring a drink over EJ’s head at homecoming last semester. That’s about as far as it goes, so I think my obliviousness is appropriate.” 

“Really? There’s no way some North High Knight hasn’t tried to make a move on the pretty new cheerleader with the big brown eyes.” 

She huffs out a laugh, seeing him smile slightly in her peripheral vision. Her cheeks redden; she hopes he doesn’t notice, but knows that he does. Sure, there was always the occasional guy who’d ask for her number or ask to hang out, but she’d always say no. She wanted to be with someone who understood her like no one else did, and so far, Ricky Bowen was the only one who met that criteria. Still, she wanted to tease him a bit. 

“And what if I have been approached by someone? What would you do?” 

He pauses for a moment and shifts, his shoulder brushing against hers as he sighs. “I don’t know,” he starts, “I’d probably be upset at first.”

“At me?” 

“Of course not. I could never be mad at you, Gi.” he corrects. She feels his gaze on her cheek as his hand trails upward, twirling a single one of her curls around his finger. “I’d be upset with myself. For not making a move first.”

Gina turns her head to the side, studies him for a moment. His eyes are trained on his finger, as he twists the curl almost out of habit. “Would we still be friends?” she asks softly, purely out of curiousity. 

His eyes meet hers, brown and bright, soft and igniting a fire within her. “Duh. It would hurt, sure. I would spend a while wondering what could’ve been. This may sound extremely corny and I’m probably going to regret saying it, but… I honestly don’t think I can imagine a world where I’m _not_ falling for Gina Porter.”

Butterflies. An eruption of them, spreading throughout her body, sending chills up and down her spine in the best possible way. “Oh.” is all she can manage. His hand falls from her hair and back to his side.

“Yeah. But I’d never stop being your friend. A lifetime in the friend zone is better than a life without you at all. As long as you’re happy.”

Stupid, stupid Ricky Bowen. As if anyone else could make her as happy as him. 

“That’s a really sweet sentiment, Bowen,” Gina starts, sitting up and leaning back on her hands. She looks up as the bleachers start to shake, signifying that track and field practice is about to start. The bell will probably ring any minute. “But I don’t think you need to worry. From what I’ve seen, Knights aren’t really my type.”

He sits up too, and she can’t help but smile at the hopefulness in his voice. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah.” Gina turns to face him, leans in a bit, and tries to ignore the incessant pounding of her heart. “I think I might have a thing for Wildcats.”

His lips part as his face and the tips of his ears grow pink, and Gina can’t help but laugh. She turns her head towards the school building as the bell rings and sighs. 

“I have to go.” She shifts to stand, but a calloused hand lands on top of hers. When she turns, she’s met with one of the brightest smiles she’s ever seen, his wide eyes crinkled at the corners. Still, she doubts it’s brighter than hers. 

“Wait. What does that mean?” he says in a voice that makes her think he _knows_ what it means, but he can’t quite believe it. 

“It means that I like you too, dork. Like… _a lot._ ” 

And just like that, all of the _maybes_ in their relationship became definite. Gina Porter has never had many definite factors in her life. She’s glad to say that Ricky Bowen was one of the first. 

“So what does this mean for us?” he asks, subtlety brushing his thumb over her fingers. 

“I guess it can mean whatever we want it to mean. No pressure, right?” He nods, and she knows he understands. There’s never been any pressure in their relationship. No matter the label or where they stood, they were always _Ricky and Gina._ Unapologetically themselves when they were together. 

“Now, I really have to get going. See you…” she pauses, because she really doesn’t know when she’ll see him again. It’s not like he can keep sneaking onto campus like this, and their schedules always seemed to conflict. “...soon?”

“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” he pleads, standing to help her up. He doesn’t let go of her hand once she’s up, letting their intertwined fingers sway between them. 

“You know I have a game today. I’m new to the team, I don’t need to be causing any trouble by showing up late.” Gina says regretfully, smiling down at their intertwined hands. 

“You could say you were doing something important.”

“Like what?”

Ricky purses his lips as he stares at the skies in thought. “Spending much needed quality time with the guy you like?”

“ _‘The guy I like.’_ That’s what we’re referring to you as from now on?” she asks, laughing. 

He nods happily, biting down on his lip to suppress his evident grin. “I think it has a nice ring to it, don’t you?”

“Sure, Ricky.” She begins to take small steps back, reluctant to release his hand from her grasp. “But seriously, you know I can’t stay.”

“What if I come to the game? Cheer you on from the crowd?”

“As much as I’d love that, you’re literally wearing an EHS hoodie and security will not hesitate to remove you from the premises.” Ricky pouts, puppy dog eyes in full effect. Gosh, he’s so cute. 

“How’s a guy supposed to support his girlfriend if he can’t come to any of her events?” he laments. 

Gina feels electricity run through her body at the term, straight through to her fingertips, which are loosely hanging on to his now. A grin that she can’t control breaks out across her face. 

“ _Girlfriend?_ You haven’t even asked me out yet.”

“ _Yet_ being the key word.” he responds, his grasp on her hand growing tighter as he closes the space she created between them. “Do you think you can come over later? We could try out that brownie recipe you sent me last week?”

Gina squeezes his hand and shakes her head sadly. “The game… won’t it be too late after?”

“It’s Friday! And I’ll walk you back to the Caswells myself. I just wanna spend time with you… preferably not under a set of bleachers. Please, Porter?” 

When he looks at her like that, soft eyes filled with admiration, and he’s saying things she never knew she wanted to hear… how can she say no?

“The game ends at seven,” she starts, disconnecting their fingers reluctantly and backing away into the sunlight. “I’ll see you at eight.”

“Can’t wait.” is all he says as he watches her go, a soft smile gracing his lips. She grabs her bag from the edge of the bleachers and turns, jogging towards the school building. 

“Wait, Gi!” Ricky suddenly calls, and she whips around to see him running towards her, East High paraphernalia on full display in broad daylight. 

“Ricky! What the hell are you doing? Someone’s gonna see you-” The words die on her tongue as he leans in, pressing the softest kiss to her cheek. He lingers there for a few seconds, and her breath catches in her throat. 

“Good luck out there today,” he whispers. “You’re gonna kill it. You always do.”

And then he’s off again, ducking under the bleachers to clean up their impromptu picnic. She’s still standing there, feet rooted to the spot, when he looks up and waves, pointing at his watch. 

Right. The game. She shoots him a smile and a thumbs up as she turns to head inside. She can’t resist a final look back as she passes through the metal doors, and watches as a flash of red darts towards the front entrance. 

Gina can’t wipe the smile off of her face as she almost skips towards the locker room to meet up with her teammates. 

After the game, her coach commends her on her energetic performance and bright smile. Gina knew that it was all due to the curly haired boy that never strayed far from her thoughts. 

_The guy she likes._

_The guy who likes her._

He was right; it did have a nice ring to it. 


End file.
